Aneya & Lauren: Kissing.

Lauren: Among the new cultural differences that we are adjusting to here in Chile is the kiss on one cheek as a greeting. After coming to Chile we noticed when we meet friends or even when we meet friends of friends, a kiss on the cheek for both men and women is customary.

Aneya: I like the kiss on the cheek. It's less awkward than a hug, and more intimate than a handshake. It reminds me of living in Europe.

Lauren: In some countries it's different. In Russia, I am told, they do the exhausting three kisses, and in France it's one on each side right, Aneya?

Aneya: Yes, in France it's customary to give the double bisous, one on each cheek, although some people prefer the air kiss, which has an aura of haughtiness to it that's tres Francais.

Lauren: Here it's just the one on the right side. With friends it's definitely a yes. When you see you're friends, un beso per friend. In larger groups this greeting can kind of take a while, but it's kind of a nicer way of saying hello. I think it's sweet.

Aneya: In France it used to be exhausting, kissing every one of my friends in the morning. In the end I would just get too lazy and blow a kiss to the rest of them.

Lauren: As of late, though, there has been a bit of confusion as to who to kiss and who not to kiss. The doorman? The cable guy? Do you kiss on the check in an interview? The clerk at the pharmacy? The guy who lets you use his outhouse? As we interact with more and more people, I am constantly thinking, "Should I kiss this person on the cheek? Do I seem like a strange, distant, reserved American who doesn't like physical contact with other people? Or if I kiss this person on the cheek will it seem eager, or worse, creepy?"

I just really never know who to kiss and who not to. It's actually a tiny source of social anxiety. There's not only a slight(ish) language barrier, and I certainly don't look very much like anyone else, but now my amplified awkwardness stands out. Fantastic.

Aneya: Ya, I wasn't so sure either. In France I remember we had to kiss our principle at the end of the school year, which was embarrassing, but we wouldn't kiss our teachers every morning, that'd just be weird. You wouldn't kiss any type of worker, only friends, family, and new acquaintances. It's true that not kissing here may just perpetuate the "cold American stereotype" but then again, you don't want to make a fool of yourself!

Lauren: Daniela confirmed that no, a kiss for the cable guy would be inappropriate unless you're making some kind of explicit adult video. However, a kiss is appropriate for an interview and the guy who lets you use his outhouse, as we recently discovered in the south! What a surprise. And I'm starting to think that if there's a counter between us, I don't have to lean over it to kiss on the cheek.

But what about Americans? Do you kiss a fellow American when meeting them in Chile? Or do you follow U.S. customs and just extend your hand for a hearty handshake? What about interviewing with people from the states? It's all just too much really.

Aneya: I feel like with fellow Americans you wouldn't kiss them, unless they've lived here for awhile and it had become accustom for them. Although, we did kiss our landlord, but she initiated, so it seemed like the right thing to do. No se!

-- Aneya & Lauren

Photo courtesy of Getty Images ... sort of.